Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 164
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي فُدَيْكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمُهَيْمِنِ بْنِ عَبَّاسِ بْنِ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " الأَنْصَارُ شِعَارٌ وَالنَّاسُ دِثَارٌ وَلَوْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ اسْتَقْبَلُوا وَادِيًا - أَوْ شِعْبًا - وَاسْتَقْبَلَتِ الأَنْصَارُ وَادِيًا لَسَلَكْتُ وَادِيَ الأَنْصَارِ وَلَوْلاَ الْهِجْرَةُ لَكُنْتُ امْرَأً مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abd al-Rahman ibn Ibrahim reported to us: Ibn Abi Fudayk reported to us, from Abd al-Muhaymin ibn Abbas ibn Sahl ibn Sad, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘The Ansar are like an inner garment, while the people are like an outer garment. If the people headed toward one valley—or mountain pass—and the Ansar headed toward another, I would take the valley of the Ansar. Were it not for the emigration, I would be one of the Ansar.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic uses the imagery of an inner garment (shi‘ar) and an outer garment (dithar), and preserves uncertainty between a valley and a mountain pass.